CHICAGO"Kyle Orton looked comfortable this preseason when I saw him. Looked like he controlled the huddle real well. He was hitting some passes that maybe a couple years ago he didn't hit. My guess is that's why they went with him." . . . "Defensively, they haven't played well. It just doesn't seem like they're as dominant a group as what they've been with the same guys. Some guys haven't played well." . . . "They're not playing the run very well and their offense is who knows what. Bad offensive line. Not so great defensive line right now." . . . "The new back, (Matt) Forte, has some really, really good qualities. He can bang it and he also can slash you. He's a little bit faster than people give him credit for." . . . "Tommie Harris is one of the better D-tackles in the league and I don't need to say very much about that middle linebacker (Brian Urlacher). They're going to regain what they had the year (2006) they went to the Super Bowl" . . . "(Guard) Josh Beekman is playing OK. (Left tackle) John St. Clair is probably a liability. But if you're OK and functioning at the other spots you can help that guy." . . . "They got an explosive guy in (Devin) Hester. If they can get the ball in that guy's hands it will make that quarterback look real good. Get that guy in space."

DETROIT"They run that 'Tampa 2' defense and now they're getting some of the people in place to do that." . . . "The defensive line is OK. They hit quick. They've got a lot of Tampa Bay guys on the defensive line." . . . "He (coach Rod Marinelli) wants them to play fast. They play on that surface (at Ford Field), which is built for speed. They have a lot of the same things that are in place in Tampa and Indianapolis. Shorter, quicker, fast guys." . . . "It's a unique system. You have to have some undersized quick guys. That's the key. If you don't have quickness, your smaller guys will get worn down." . . . "The rookie back, Kevin Smith, will be pretty good. He's not an elusive guy but he's got size and he can run downhill. If Rudi (Johnson) is healthy coming off that hamstring, they could have a good 1-2 punch." . . . "Rudi still is a solid starter. That will help them a lot." . . . "They'll try to run the football. If you can do that, that sets up a lot of things with play-action and dropback and boots. If they do that, they've got some dangerous weapons outside." . . . "I don't see either the Bears or Lions factoring. For some reason, I see Detroit being a little bit better and possibly competing there at the end for a wild card."

GREEN BAY"(Aaron) Rodgers looks like he's made some strides and he played well in that half against Dallas last year. He's going to have some swings. He just needs help. Give me a short field. Turn the ball over. Let's run the football. But you can't win in this league if that guy's not playing well." . . . "I know the Packers are a young team. Youth will be a little bit of an issue. You did have the quarterback (Brett Favre) to kind of calm that all down." . . . "Nice depth at receiver. The (offensive) line should be fine. It gets overrated sometimes but the triggerman has to get the ball out. (Ryan) Grant stepped in and played well a year ago. He should be fine." . . . "Defensively, they're relatively solid. I don't think they're special in any way. Looks like they've got a little bit of depth." . . . "The linebackers are a good group. I think the question is the interior, how those guys hold up inside. Last year, I liked that whole group. Maybe they don't have the depth they had." ... "(Cullen) Jenkins has gotten to be like his brother (Kris). He looked like just a guy the other day. Maybe he's still hurt." . . . "The safeties are solid guys, just different. One guy (Nick Collins) is rangier. The other guy (Atari Bigby) shows up around the ball and has got a little punch when he tackles."

MINNESOTA"Brad (Childress) has had success with a very similar guy in (Donovan) McNabb. I'm not saying that (Tarvaris) Jackson is the next McNabb. But slowly but surely he's getting a little bit better. The team seems to believe in him, too. The kid's a confident kid." . . . "Jackson is athletic, he's got an arm, he runs around, he makes throws. People will try to shut down the run and let him beat you. He was a little inconsistent a year ago . . . but I'm kind of excited about him." . . . "I like the fact that Minnesota has the back (Adrian Peterson). When you've got a runner you can turn around and give it to him 30 times a game. That has to weigh in." . . . "You can chip to help (left tackle) Artis Hicks. I don't think you're going to just leave him out there hung out to dry if he's struggling." . . . "The right tackle (Ryan Cook) doesn't have great anchor. Decent athlete, but not real strong." . . . "The (defensive) front's good. Pressure with four. Jared Allen is a great signing." . . . "(Bobby) Wade has been a great signing. Underneath possession-type guy. Reliable. (Bernard) Berrian is a vertical guy." . . . "They've got runners and the wideouts look pretty deep." . . . "They're at Green Bay first. You'll find out right off the bat what kind of team they'll both have and how the race will shape up. Any time you have a back and you add a guy like Allen, you've got a chance to improve. I'm saying 10-6."

The opposite of Grossman. He's always uncomfortable and usually panicking. I hate to admit it, but the Bears are going to be better than last year.

Orton isn't very good but he and Forte are going to make that team better. The offensive stats will be bad but there will be more Ws. They're just going back to basics, Hester giving them field position, and Orton not screwing it up.

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